Game of Cat and Mouse
by YourFlawedDesign
Summary: The two simply played a game. It had rules, and it had players. However, things start to get a bit dangerous for Boris when Pierce loses his memory in the process. Drabbled, some OOC.
1. You All Just Lost the Game

"**A Game of Cat and Mouse"**

**-You All Just Lost the Game-**

**~I~**

It had simply started out as a game. A nice game where there were only three rules:

1. The first to give up lost that round.  
>2. If the other player couldn't play anymore, it was a draw.<br>3. Neither player is allowed to die or get killed.

Sure, there were times when Boris would secretly let a rule slide- one of the first two of course. After all, he couldn't stand to see Pierce cry... He considered it as Pierce being unable to continue to play.

They could also tell when the other gave up. When Pierce hid really well, or got to his own house, Boris lost. When Boris found a way to corner Pierce, Pierce lost. And when Alice prevented Boris from catching Peirce, it was a draw. Boris was not allowed to do anything to harm Pierce seriously in any way, shape, or form.

Those were the rules. They were both really good at following them, even though they had never been said aloud, discussed, or even confirmed with the other. And it was a game only they could play.

***You All Just Lost The Game***

Boris looked down at moving bushes. He knew that was exactly where Pierce was. The scent was strong; a mingling of dead bodies, mouse, and a lingering of coffee.

The Cheshire Cat couldn't help but lick his lips when he finally heard Pierce give a sigh of relief. He must be done.

Sure enough, the dormouse came from his digging spot, shovel over his shoulder and humming, fully intent on getting home quickly for a sweet treat.

Boris jumped down behind him as quietly as possible. It was a few minutes before Pierce lifted his head and sniffed the air.

"Hey Pierce~!" He went up behind the younger, whispering in his ears. "What are you up to~?"

"B-Bor-Boris..." He seemed to have frozen to the spot. Boris went to pin the dormouse down when the frightened thing jumped and tried to make a mad dash. It took less than three seconds for the shovel from Pierce's shoulders to fly up in the air, and fall back down right on top of the owners head a few feet away.

Boris stopped in his tracks, immediately knowing something was wrong.

"Pierce?" He called out from his spot. "Pierce... playing dead doesn't work on me! Or it won't again."" He remembered the time the sixteen year old had pretended to fall asleep in hopes of boring the cat into leaving. It had worked both the first and second time.

"Pierce!" He growled from his spot. No reaction...

He knew that if he had left right then that he would not be held responsible of the charge, but he also knew that it would be a long time until Mary would notice and send out others to look for him.

Pretending to be doing it as a favor, instead of because of the guilt weighing heavily in the pit of his stomach, the eighteen year old walked over to the still body. He wasn't dead... He did seem hurt badly.

Hating himself for causing this, Boris picked the smaller boy up, surprised by just how little he weighed, and started to carry him back to the amusement park to his room. After all, he didn't want to go to Pierce's house and be accused of stealing anything...Again.

**~I~**

**AN: Yay, it's been edited. Thank you Vivacia18 for all your help with these stories.**

**And oh no, poor Pierce.**


	2. Would You Like to Play a Game?

"**A Game of Cat and Mouse"**

**-Would You Like to Play a Game?-**

**~II~**

Boris had let the mouse lay across his bed. He didn't mind the floor...

He slightly regretted it once he woke with a stiff back.

Groaning into a back-pain-relieving stretch, he looked over at the sleeping body.

"Come on Pierce, wake up." He called from his spot. Still no reaction...

Sighing to himself, he knew what he had to do, and headed to the amusement park.

He returned to find the Dormouse in the same state.

"If you don't get up, I'll just have to have the coffee and cheese to myself~!" He warned.

After getting no response he went up to the unconscious gravedigger and placed the food and drink near his face.

"Come on Pierce, get up!" He hissed, annoyed. "Fine! Don't get up! I don't care; I have better things to do!"

The Cheshire Cat turned around and headed towards the Castle of Hearts.

***Would You Like To Play A Game?***

"Hahaha, you missed me~!" Boris laughed as the bullet flew past him.

"Don't tempt me." Ace was such a strange competitor... he smiled too much. It almost made Boris worry.

He was forced to get over it when another bullet grazed his shoulder. Wincing inwardly he turned to make sure he was close to an exit.

"Don't turn your back!" Ace warned, coming closer. Boris moved fast, grabbing his favorite gun and shooting at him, before using the escape route. By the sound of it, the bullet had simply skimmed the other mans leg. Damn.

"Jeez, I know I asked Ace for a challenge, but..." He looked at the bleeding wound on his arm. He would have to avoid running into Alice...

As he made his way home, applying pressure to his newly acquired wound, he wondered if Pierce was awake yet.

He found his answer lying alone in the bed with an empty cup and clean plate.

***Would You Like To Play A Game?***

"Hey, if you're just going to pretend to be hurt for a free meal; all you had to do was ask!" He growled, tail twitching in annoyance.

Boris could see the mouse's body tense. Good, he was still awake.

"Hey! Get up or Ill just eat you now!"

Why was he shaking so violently?

"...blood...smells like blood..."

"Yea, I got scratched. So what?"

"Cat... I smell cat..."

"Don't you act all panicked, I'm trying to talk to you!" The cat gave up and jumped on top of the younger mouse.

Pierce's green eyes looked up at him in complete fear.

"G-G-Get o-o-off m-me!" he pleaded.

"Pierce-!"

"W-Who's P-Pierce...?"

**~II~**

**AN: Updated and edited!**

**Uh-oh… Who's Perice?**


	3. Every Game has a Challanger

"**A Game of Cat and Mouse"**

**-Every Game Has a Challenger-**

**~III~**

"It's called amnesia," Alice said, looking over the mouse, who seemed calm with the girl there.

"Great..." Boris muttered. "Of course he would..."

"Did he hit his head?" She asked, turning to him.

"W-What? How should I know? I'm not his keeper!" He hissed, looking away.

"...Boris, what happened to your arm?" She asked, catching sight of his hurt arm.

"...I was just doing my job, Alice," He said, guiltily.

Sighing, the girl went over to him, bandaging the wound. "...Just keep an eye on Pierce, alright? ...Make sure he doesn't do too much for awhile... Try and get him to remember for a bit. And Boris..._**Don't Eat Him**_!" she tsk'ed, heading out.

"...Hm...Hey Pierce, do you remember who you are yet?" He asked, his tail twitching.

"...no..."

"Damn... should have known it wasn't going to be that easy."

***Every Game Has A Challenger***

Boris dragged the small animal from his bed.

"I d-don't want! I-I don't want to go with you! W-Where's the p-pretty lady?" The younger boy was struggling, literally being dragged by his collar out of Boris' room, the amusement park, and into the woods.

"You have a job to do. So do I. I'm _not_ a babysitter!" He struggled with the mouse. How strong did this guy think he was?

"I don't want to! I don't want to!"

"How old are you?" Boris hissed.

"...I don't know..." He admitted.

"..Sixteen! Act like it!"

Pierce went limp, figuring he couldn't get out.

"...Boris? What's my job?"

The Cheshire cat stopped and faced him. "You get to bury the guys I kill."

For a second, the younger seemed fine. Then...he fainted.

"Damn it! Pierce, wake up!"

**~III~**

**AN: Updated!**

**And you guys, I'm very, very, **_**painfully**_** aware the chapters are short. Boris and Peirce are hard characters for me, I don't have the chance to just read HnKnA whenever I want to refresh myself. The manga was taken down, and I don't have money to spend for the books in hand. Not to mention, I just don't have a lot of time. Just… gimme a break, alright?**


	4. A Challenger is Not Always Weaker

"**A Game of Cat and Mouse"**

**-A Challenger is Not Always Weaker-**

**~IV~**

Boris hadn't gotten much work done that day. Between going against the Heart's gunmen and making sure the rodent behind him didn't disappear, he didn't even make his personal quota.

"Pierce, you're going to get us killed!" He hissed, watching the mouse feverishly dig the grave.

"I-I'm sorry Boris... I-I just..."

"Stop shaking," The tomcat growled again. Honestly... this guy was...

Shaking his head, he turned to glance around them, keeping guard. "If I have to keep watching over you, we'll have to keep working all day."

"All day?"

"Yes! So hurry!"

**+* A challenger is not always weaker*+**

Ultimately, despite at least ten hours of work, he had gotten rid of only five men. That was one per two hours...

"Why are you still following me?" He sighed, tail twitching in annoyance as the mouse practically clung to him.

"...I don't know where else to go..."

"How about _home_?"

"I don't know where that is."

"You can't come to my house."

"Why not?"

The Cheshire Cat turned and glared. "Because I'll eat you," He said darkly, earning a stare from the mouse.

"...No you wouldn't..."

"Why do you say that?"

"You would have already."

...Pierce struck him dumb, not sure how to answer that. He had a point, but memory or not, he had a reputation to uphold.

"...I'm just waiting."

"For what?"

"...Shut up Pierce!"

The mouse flinched, but he still didn't look afraid, just surprised. "...Can I please Boris?"

"...Look, you're going to be sleeping on the cold floor."

" I don't care..."

The older cat stared, golden eyes looking over the grave digger. Why was he being so damn clingy? He missed him wanting to get away from him. Though... he couldn't send him home like that. He really looked more afraid of being alone than being with him and... it was a nice change...

"...Just for tonight. Tomorrow I'm taking you home."

**~IV~**

**AN: I'm not making my own personal quota for length here… I'm still trying guys, I'm sorry…**

**Beta'd by Vivcia18**


	5. A Game Has Rules That Must Be Followed

"**A Game of Cat and Mouse"**

**-A Game Has Rules That Must Be Followed-**

**~V~**

When Boris woke, he could see the lovely mix of red and brown in front of him. The scent of mouse grabbed his attention as he realized the lush wave before him was Pierce's hair. The rodent had crawled into his bed when he had fallen asleep!

The cat growled in dislike, pushing the younger one out of the bed, hearing a surprised squeal as he hit the floor.

"I said you weren't sleeping in my bed!"

"It was so cold last night..."

"So? You're lucky I let you stay at all, this is _my_ place," He grumbled, curling up a bit more.

"...Boris, I don't have a pillow or anything down here... you're so soft and the bed's so warm..."

He glared through a slit golden eye, staring him down. "So? I told you, I'm not your babysitter!"

"I don't even understand!"

The Cheshire Cat's tail twitched in annoyance.

"Fine, listen brat, I'm going to actually get ready, as _I_ have a job to do! You can sleep in the damn bed while I'm gone, go see Alice, go to that mouse-town, or whatever, I'm not watching you today!" One day was enough, right?

Pierce stared after him as he grabbed his gun, reattaching his chains around him.

"...Those look stupid."

"Stupid? Who asked you?"

**+*A Game has rules that must be followed*+**

"I said you could sleep in... I practically gave you all the freedom in the world... _why_ are you following me?" The fuchsia pink haired cat didn't even turn to look at the dark furred creature as they walked around aimlessly in the forest.

"I don't really know where everything is... or anything actually... and you're really nice when you're not yelling."

Nice? What the hell was going on...? He was tempted to bang his head on the nearest tree until things seemed normal again, but that probably wouldn't do any good.

Not really anyway...

"Look, I'm not _nice_. You're supposed to run _away_ from cats, you're a rat!"

"I'm a _mouse_!"

"Don't you talk back at me! I'm not used to it." He flickered his tail angrily, continuing forward. This entire thing was getting on his last nerves! Why hadn't Alice just taken him? Where was she staying right now anyway? He was sure, wherever it was, it would have been fine, even if it were with Blood! The twins were there, but Pierce didn't remember them, so it wouldn't have mattered!

"...Look, if you keep following me, I'm just gonna drop you off with someone else!"

"...But if I don't follow you, I'll get lost in this forest..."

"No you won't, you're house is even nearby!" He ignored the small whimper in the younger teen's voice. "Though you're probably too big to get in right now anyway."

"B-But Boris...!"

He was never going to get any work done like this! Pierce would follow him _again_ today, slow him down, and cause him to be distracted in making sure he didn't get hit. It was better to just take the day off and hope he didn't run in to Ace! Growling his anger away, he turned to the smaller, smirking as he noticed the twitch.

"Fine, today, I'll make sure the little mousy doesn't get his tail caught in a door, and we'll go some place fun~"

"Really?" The excitement perked the smaller creature up, smiling at the tom cat like a child promised ice cream.

**~V~**

**AN: And where shall Boris be taking Pierce for fun?**

**Beta reader Vivcia18 is baws.**


	6. Some Place Fun

"**A Game of Cat and Mouse"**

**-Some Place Fun-**

**~VI~**

'Some place fun' turned out to be a disaster.

As Pierce walked through the town entrance, he was greeted by a good amount of people. However, once people saw his companion, they started to run, flee, and lock themselves up in houses.

No, the mice of the village did not welcome _his kind_.

Boris, on the other hand, seemed to love it. He was awfully cocky, scaring some of the children, threatening shop owners so he could get a drink for free...

"Boris, I want to go home." Pierce mumbled, staying close to the cat as if to show that mice and cats could be near each other, that Boris was just... just showing his teeth, but he wouldn't bite.

"Then by all means, go home, I'm not stopping you," He grinned, purring.

"No Boris, I want to go back, and I want you to come with me." He tried to be more aggressive, crossing his arms. "This isn't fun!"

"It's plenty fun, get a sense of humor!"

"No Boris, it's mean!" His voice grew louder, glaring at the bright eyes. "You're just tormenting everybody to feel big, it's not right! Let's go home!"

"Shut up Pierce." He brushed the mouse off easily. "I do what I want when I want."

The gravedigger's tail twitched, the foul-tempered mouse moving quickly to catch up to him. "Boris, look at me!"

The Cheshire Cat turned to swipe at the mouse, and was surprised to find the barrel of the underlings gun pointed at him.

"And just what do you think you're going to do with that, Villers?" He hissed, hand on his own gun. This was crazy! Pierce hadn't ever threatened him with his gun before!

"...Can we please just go?" The large brown ears tilted down. He was bluffing. Figures.

"I'm amused."

"It's wrong."

"And what would you consider fun then?"

"...We could go the amusement park..."

The amusement park had grown ill of its glory since Boris moved in with Mary. Honestly, if you lived in the place, it stopped having the perfect amount of glamour, and was just reduced to the normal level of 'not a bad idea'; that is, unless you stopped playing in it for a long time, or you were with the twins.

"...Really?"

"Yea, it would be fun..."

"...I'm going to eat you like cotton candy off a stick."

"That doesn't sound too pleasant..."

"It isn't. But fine, let's try things _your_ way."

**~VI~**

**AN: I'm glad people like that cotton candy line xD I just thought it would be amusing.**

**And thank you Viv, for fixing my mistakes there, this chapter sounds so much better now!**


	7. A Little Wince

"**A Game of Cat and Mouse"**

**-A Little Wince-**

**~VII~**

In a way, the Amusement Park wasn't so bad. Watching Pierce re-experience every ride like it was his first time on them had been… 'Amusing'. He went from childish excitement while waiting in line, to nervous fear when they got to the front, to reaching out for Boris' hand as the ride started, to happily giggling as the ride progressed, and then babbling about it as they got off – just to start all over again for every ride.

The Cheshire Cat had actually rerouted them a few times to avoid the horrible entertainment provided by Mary Gowland.

Honestly – Pierce was lucky to have forgotten _that,_ and Boris only wished such harm on his worst enemies. Peirce was not a 'worst enemy'.

As the day wavered and the park started to empty, Boris offered to buy them food before heading upstairs.

Despite Boris' brightened mood, Pierce stayed away from the cotton candy.

"And then the dip-!"

"Yea Pierce…" Boris smiled lightly, taking a sip of the soda.

"And the spins-! It was amazing Boris! Can we come back tomorrow?"

"Oh no, you don't want to do that."

"Why not?"

"Well, if you go every day, it gets boring…"

"No way! How could it ever get boring?"

"…Trust me, kay?"

The younger teen shook his head and started going on again as the two headed back to Boris' room.

"I should show you your own home soon…"

"…Why? I like staying here with you Boris… You're nice to me." The mouse smiled.

"…I know, that's why I gotta get you out…"

He didn't notice the hurt on the younger boy's face, only opening the door for him.

**-A Little Wince-**

**AN: I'M SORRY IT'S NOT THAT LONG, IT'S JUST OUT OF ALL THE FANFICTIONS… I HAD THE LEAST DRIVE TO UPDATE THIS. BUT I DID. AND I'M WORKING ON THE NEXT CHAPTER.**

**No, seriously, please stop the 'it's too short'. You guys, I **_**lurver**_** this pairing, my girlfriend inspires me with her random acts of Pierceness. Otherwise though… it's so difficult for me. I can't just go play the game, my computer is ancient and shuts down. I can't just read the manga before it was taken down online, and I can't just go out and buy a volume. I **_**want**_** to do this, but it's… it's hard…**

**But I **_**am**_** going to.**

**Vivacia18 is our beta. Show love through reviews for us two. They're inspiration.**


	8. A Missing Mouse

"**Game of Cat and Mouse"**

**-A Missing Mouse-**

**~VIII~**

A bright golden eye opened as the sun filtered into the room. For a moment something seemed off; something was…. Missing. He swept across the room, wondering where the mouse had fallen asleep. The bright colored tom stretched out, yawning before forcing himself awake.

"…Pierce?" he called out, blinking quickly to snap out of it. "Hey, little rodent, where are ya?"

There wasn't an answer, so he figured he was still asleep. Boris slipped off of the bed and started looking around the room. There weren't a lot of hiding places to begin with… It didn't take long for him to conclude Pierce must have left. Maybe he just got his memory back and went home. He could always go check up on him later, give him a piece of his mind. The stupid mouse owed him for all he did to help him after all.

So instead he hurried to get ready, cleaning himself quickly and hooking up the shiny gun before skirting out. He had _a lot_ of work to make up for.

**~VIII~**

The Cheshire Cat tried to peek into the house, but found it too small to get a better look. He couldn't really find the right mushroom- and he didn't want to take a chance now. Boris was trying to find a way to see if Pierce was still inside and ignore the shooting pain in his side. He hadn't gotten shot while he was working; he just fell when he was caught off guard.

Still, when he finally found a good way to see, the home itself looked rather empty. A part of him started to panic. What if Pierce hadn't gotten his memory back? What if he was just… out wandering around somewhere? The cat jumped to his feet and hurried back towards the amusement park.

**~VIII~**

The cat's tail lashed in annoyance as he looked up at the large clock tower. No, Pierce hadn't been anywhere near the amusement park, or anywhere burying a body. All he knew was he had to find help; he had to find _Alice_. His easiest guess was that she was with Julius.

The cat hissed angrily as he nearly slipped down the stairs, ready to claw out at the person he had run into, before realizing it was the dark blond girl he'd been looking for. "Alice!"

"Boris?" The girl looked up, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"…I need to… have you seen Pierce anywhere?"

"Boris, you _lost_ him?" she stared at the older boy, unhappy. "I told you to keep an eye on him!"

"I was- I did! He just… He was gone this morning, I haven't seen him since!"

"This is awful- he could get himself killed…!" the shorter girl pushed her way past the cat. "You- You have to go look for him! I'll help but- Boris we _have_ to find him!"

"I-I'll back track a bit towards the castle…" he volunteered, knowing she was headed straight for the mouse village and Gowland.

**~VIII~**

"You would've been smarter to stay out!" The smirk on the brunette man's face sent a shiver up his spine, but he couldn't help but lean down off the maze wall, upper body stretched out as he moved to lean close to the gunman.

"Oh, but if I did that, I'd never get to see your ugly mug again~!" he teased. The gunshot was close, his ears flattened against his head as he hissed at the noise. He tried to lash out but found that he felt… numb. The golden eye widened as he fought to pull himself back up the wall, tail curled around a bush branch as he started to move frantically.

Ace's laugh pierced his ears as he finally managed, curling up against the arch of the start of the maze. His body was shaking, and he tried to get a look at the wound. When another round went off near his head, he forced himself to his feet and took off. He stumbled at first, but when another –BANG- went off, so did he, tail held close to him.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been running, only that he felt a bit safer with the forest around him. Still, he couldn't help but force himself up the nearest tree, claws practically supporting him alone as he found a good arch between trunk and bough. It was getting dark, but he focused, zooming in on where the pain was coming from. He hissed as he moved his hand towards the wound, feeling the blood coat it quickly. Shit… Ace could probably follow the trail he'd left at this rate….

It was deep, half his arm felt numb… He wasn't going to be able to keep looking for Pierce at this rate… if he could even get out of this tree before too late…

No, it wasn't likely. He was hurt, and he could feel himself slowly slipping into sleep…

**~VIII~**

The headache was mind-blowing… He felt like he was being crushed by a tree! The room around him spun the instant he dared to try and look, ears flattening sharply in disdain. Boris let out a pained yowl as he forced himself to try and look around a second time, seeing a silvery blob out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh hey, he's awake." Nightmare's voice reached him.

"…Wha…?"

"Stupid kid, falling out of a tree…" the man was interrupted by his own coughing before he glared sharply at him. "What the hell is wrong with you anyway?"

"…I don't… Where did…?"

"You're back in Julius' place. Gray found ya' after you fell. Idiot." The cat moved to stand, feeling dizzy and fell back.

"What happened?" Boris asked blearily. Gray moved from where he was sitting across the room, helping the eighteen year old sit up, trying to inspect the bandaged wound again.

"Saved your ass is what happened." Nightmare grumbled.

"Halfway to Blood's…" Gray nodded. "Must have been going to get Pierce."

**~VIII~**

**AN: That's where I'll be ending it this time lovelies. **

**I would please, kindly, like to ask for reviews while you wait. I'll do a new chapter when I believe the reviews are kind and encouraging. Because really, this story is **_**hard**_**, that's why the chapters are short.**

**I mean it, really, every time I get someone pointing out what I know: the chapters are extremely short. You guys, I'm aware. It's **_**painfully **_**obvious. I don't like them being short, but there's really no inspiration anymore. I can't play the game, my computer's a dinosaur that won't read the game without shutting down. I don't have much time to go find and read it, and I can't afford the books right now. Really, the bursts of inspiration come from the reviews because my girlfriend and I stopped RP-ing HnKnA awhile ago… so please…**

**Really, the only reason **_**this**_** is written is because our amazing beta for this story left this after she fixed the older chapters:**

"_This story is just downright fun for me, though I'm not sure it's supposed to give quite that impression (definitely not for Boris, anyways XD). The chapters are a little shorter than usual for you, but I feel like it fits the flow of the story; as if Boris can't sit still in your mind any longer to let you write, and has to wander off for awhile before coming back for the next installment. It contains all the fun and familiarity-somehow-mixed-with-otherworldliness that the manga gave to us, plus the added bonus of your own elements, making for a zingy, and altogether delicious treat for the imagination."_

_**So please…**_** To thank her, to encourage me, please leave something to show you actually want more.**


	9. Lost and Found

"**Game of Cat and Mouse"**

**-Lost and Found-**

**To the lovely reviewers:**

**LoveGunsAndHauntingDreams:**** Thank you for not minding the chapter lengths, I'm actually glad most don't mind. Boris and Pierce- well, all of the cast, they're hard to portray xD**

**Jjhatter:**** Oh, you found my deviant art! Haha, well, I'm glad! ^ ^ Spreading the love all the time. Thank you for taking the time to review on here!**

**xXSpiritualWriterXx****: Oh my, please off your knees deary, I promise I'll try not to leave you without a chapter for that long ever again!**

**Kiri-Kay:**** I'm glad too, another person liking the short chapters! Haha, I suppose I must be the most interesting dealer in the game then~ ;3 Anyway, I do try and capture that caring side, because he is a very enigmatic character, and they're the ones that interest me the most! 3 Then again, I'm very biased, I adore Boris and cannot wait for my girlfriend and I to cosplay this pairing soooo xD**

**IX**

"Pierce?" The tom cat looked up, golden eye glancing between the uniformed men. "Blood's?"

"Oh look, the kitty's awake." Nightmare smirked lightly, sitting against the wall. "Jeez, did you hit your head or something? You were completely out of it."

"No time!" the Cheshire cat stood, feeling wobbly at first due to the sudden movement, and found himself caught by Grey. "Lemme go!"

Boris pushed himself off the lizard, knowing he was getting a dirty look from both of the older men.

"So reckless…" Grey shook his head. "Clock's going to stop easily at that rate."

**~IX~**

The cat frowned at the manor ahead of him, tail twitching and brushing against the tree branch just above him. You would never hear from anyone that it was necessarily a _good_ idea to hide in Blood's garden.

However, those people weren't the role holder who was currently starting to actually _panic_ that the stupid little rat had wound up back in the hell-hole he had just escaped. Okay, usually, he wouldn't have given the situation a second thought. Dee and Dum were two who scared the little rodent out of his skin, so this problem shouldn't have even happened! It was all that shovel's fault! If Pierce hadn't lost his memory, none of this stupid nonsense would have been happening!

Then there was Alice relying on him… He'd never understand why she was fond of the small brunet, but she was. Now he was stuck taking care of that pest, so he had to go retrieve him.

…Maybe Pierce possibly being in trouble had something to do with his guilt. Maybe.

The tom let out a frustrated growl before jumping to the ground. Ears perked forward, straining for any noises that might tip him off; him to others, or vise versa. It wasn't too hard to evade any of the faceless guards closer to the manor, but he could only wonder how many shots would be aimed at him if he ran into Blood or Elliot. He might get lucky if either of the twins found him – he couldn't say the same about them if they were busy torturing the rat.

"Where is everyone…?" Ear tilted flat against his head at the silence. This couldn't be right… Where were the hatter and the hare?

He decided to take the risk and stop being sneaky. It was almost annoying; with no one in sight, he could hear his own steps in the hall and that was it.

Ah, there it was! Just the smallest sound, and it was deeper in the manor then he felt comfortable with in a situation like this. Still, no harm done so long as he stayed out of sight. One hand stayed close to the gun's handle; the feeling of being on edge was really getting to him.

"Aw, did he really pass out already?" Dee… Oh great, what were they up to?!

The older role holder pushed the door in front of him ajar, taking a sweep of the weapon filled room in annoyance. His tail twitched irritably when he caught sight of the young twins. Boris hissed and pushed the door fully open, leaping closer to the child-like guards.

"And what do we got here?" he grumbled, looking over the red and blue stripped shirts to see the mouse, disheveled and, as stated, unconscious. Two large sets of blue and amber eyes looked up at him with a pair of matching smirks.

"Boris!"

"Look at what we found!"

"Just wandering around the manor grounds!"

"Quick, while he's asleep, let's take him to the park!"

"We can make sure he wakes up in the pool-"

"-or one of the faster rides!"

The cat frowned. Okay, it was tempting as hell. Pierce shouldn't have run off, and he deserved a bit of torture. But… well, if he had been kidnapped by the twins and was passed out having no previous memories of them, then he'd already been bothered enough….

"Why don't you let me take care of it~?" the tom purred, tail twitching mischievously. "I'll take a picture or something and tell you all about it~"

"Aw, come on Boris! We found him-"

"-we want to be a part of it too!" The two glared, crossing their weapons in front of the fainted mouse, guarding him.

"Aw, we're not really going to get in a spat over a prank, are we~?" The tom grinned proudly, wrapping an arm around each of the younger role holders. "I'd tell you what the plan was, but aren't surprises fun? I'll make sure you can watch, but right now I have to take him back."

"But Boris-!"

"Hush now, you'll wake him!" the teen hushed. "You wanna watch a pro in action, yea? You wanna see the little rat freak out like never before?"

"….Well…" Dum looked over at the figure. "…I guess it's fair…"

"We've been freaking him out all morning; but he didn't react the way we wanted at first." Dee nodded. "…Good luck, he's acting completely different."

"I promise, you'll love it." He slipped between the large axe's, dragging the rodent out of the way a bit before picking him up. "Oh, and guys? I need some mushrooms. Get 'em?"

"Yes sir!" the twins grinned evilly and chuckled amongst themselves, leaving the cat to carry the mouse out of their boss' home before the two missing role holders returned.

**+-IX-+**

**AN: So, here's an update. **

"**This was a nice little chapter, displaying how a cat can never really give up his mischief, even if it is only for show, no matter how guilty he may be feeling deep down. Also a nice touch of possible foreshadowing at the beginning, giving the reader something to think about, wondering if the "clock stopping" comment would come into effect later or not, giving an otherwise light and quick chapter just a touch of dark spice." –Vivacia18**

**Anyway, I'm in the process of moving, so again it'll be a bit before the next chapter.**

**Please review!**

**-YourFlawedDesign**


	10. Not for the Faint of Heart

"**Game of Cat and Mouse"**

**-Not for the Faint of Heart-**

**To the lovely reviewers:**

** the dreamy storyteller:**** No problem. Cool username, btw.**

** MissBliss8527:**** Oh, do you now? I suppose we shall see.**

** Kiri-Kay:**** What, you mean THE GAME? Well, have at thee!**

** jade walters: ****How kind, thank you!**

**ElusiveIllusions:**** Why would you even say such a thing?!**

** LoveGunsAndHauntingDreams:**** You're awesome. Just thought you should know.**

**~X~**

The slow sound of metal wheels turning was the first sound he heard. Gears shifting, overlapping, clinging together, moving faster and faster. Pierce's eyes snapped open, finding himself tucked into bed in an unfamiliar home, cluttered with, well, things. The brunette quickly climbed from under the sheets only to realize the room was shaking. He let out a scared squeak, the magnitude of the earthquake causing him to fall to his knees.

Suddenly there was a rush of air, the mouse feeling sick and his stomach flipping as everything slammed against walls, he too flying wildly. He clung onto the closest thing he could, the kitchen table, ear flattened down to try and block out the roar of the wind. Pierce wasn't sure how long it lasted, but finally it stopped. Shakily, he tried to get to his feet, collapsing when he found standing wasn't worth it.

"Hey Pierce!" The brown haired jumped, looking around the house for the loud voice. "Whoa, calm down in there, the ride's over."

"B-Boris? I-Is that y-you?"

"Yeah, come to the door."

The teen forced himself to stand, walking carefully around the disaster zone. For a moment he wondered whose house it was and how upset they'd be when the got back. He tried to force the guilty thought from his head and pulled the door open-

-only to slam it shut. Everything was really big out there! It was as if the world had quadrupled in size and left him behind!

"Aw, come on Pierce, it's not that scary!" Oh no, he recognized that voice from earlier, and it wasn't Boris!

"Yeah Pierce, come out!"

The mouse started to panic, feeling trapped. Why was everything so big? He was normal size, wasn't he? The house was normal size! Then his emerald eyes looked over the room… The clutter that had been moved around, some of it didn't look right. He swore he saw a needle, and thimble!

The role holder turned and slowly reopened the door, seeing a golden orb trying to peek in. "B-Boris!"

"Ah, finally!" The tom purred, backing up and holding a palm out. Cautious, the gravedigger climbed on, tail down in anxiety.

"H-How d-did…"

"What, you didn't have fun on the roller coaster with us? Hope your place isn't too messy. You alright?"

"Y-You took me on a r-r-roller c-coaster!?"

"Well sure. You said you wanted to go back to the park." Boris grinned. Pierce looked around to see a blue box on the table, noticing they were indeed in the amusement park. The twins from earlier were close too, peering over him. "Here ya go, come on and join us!"

Pierce nearly jumped as large fingers put a chunk of mushroom in front of him. ".. W-What?"

"Take a bite, duh. 

The mouse's ears perked up; moving closer and grabbing the piece, he was stopped by the cat from taking a bite until he was set on the ground.

**~x~**

"What's with the face?" The Cheshire Cat put an arm around the smallers shoulders, the mouse holding the box that was his home.

"Y-You…!" The younger turned on the tom, tail straight up in defiance. "That…! I…!  
>Fist clenched, the role holders body quivered in anger before he turned and ran.<p>

"Wait, Pierce!"

"We'll get him!" Dee and Dum offered, ready to bolt after the mouse.

"No!" The cat hissed, stopping the boys. "Go home or something, torment Elliot or Blood… Just _go._" Boris ignored the confused faces on the younger two, hurrying after the mouse in the direction he'd disappeared in.

**~x~**

The tomcat's ears were flat against his head as he hurried to get away from the screeching wails of the poor violin; the dreadful noise his 'boss' called 'music'. It finally faded as he neared the teacups. The pierced tail flickered as he sighed in annoyance, mostly at himself, as he sat down on a shaded bench.

"Man, I've really messed up." He took a moment for himself, getting comfortable. The cheerful noises of the park around him started to fade as he dozed. Then he caught the noise. Ears perked up; soft sniffling and muted sobbing was coming from nearby. The gunman sat up, tail curling as he scanned the area for a sign of its source. Purple tipped ears leaned forward, a golden eye narrowed when he saw the top of a dark brown tail.

Swiftly, the tom stood and hurried as silently as he could. The tail was peeking out from behind one of the wooden walls mean to 'hide' the opening of the bathrooms. Standing on his toes, he peered over the wall to find his lost prey curled in a ball crying. Looking around, he slowly made his way to the other side, leaning against the bathroom entrance door with a sigh.

That small sound was enough to let Pierce be aware of his presence without startling him; one bright green eye looked up at him, watery. "Pierce…"

"Y-You… t-torment m-me… me." The mouse sniffled. "Y-You took m-my house a-and.. and…"

"I know, I know, it wasn't right." The older moved down, resting on the balls of his feet in front of him. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to scare you _that_ badly.

There was no response; the younger role holder stared at the box in his lap. "Come on Pierce, forgive me? You always forgive me." Boris tried to cajole Pierce, worried.

The mouse just looked lost, hopelessly looking up to share the cat's gaze. "_You scare me…"_ He whispered.

The tom moved to his knees, kneeling in front of the brunette and pulling him closer. He knew he sacred Pierce, it was part of his job, his instinct. However, to hear it like _that_, right _now_… It hurt.

"I don't wanna scare you." He said lightly, letting the mouse curl up against him. "I don't mean to… It's getting late, come on, we should go upstairs."

When the mouse shook his head, he just stared, confused. "Then where will you go?"

"I-I dunno…"

Okay, that _really_ hurt. He'd rather brave the dangers _out there_ than return to Boris' room? The tom knew it was his fault. Carefully, he wiped the sixteen year old's tears away and nuzzled the top of his head. "It's dangerous out there. Stay?"

"Okay…" The tom kissed his forehead, moving the strand of blond out of his face.

**+-X-+**

**AN: So, here is the fluffy update. How cute, right?**

**Anyway, I'm glad I got around to updating this. I just want to say this now though, get it out of the way: Please do NOT pm me or email me asking me to hurry up. There is a reason you can only leave one review per chapter. Believe it or not, authors [or the few I've spoken to] don't LOVE LOVE LOVE IT when you constantly badger them about being slow. We like your reviews, we love you want us to update more… but don't contact us personally just to say that…**

"**A****nyways, excuses aside, this really was a nice fluffy chapter; I was doing various versions of "awww" throughout reading it, probably very much confusing my roommates, as we have the Mentalist on right nowXD This chapter looks like a great set up for really getting into the meat of the story, and I'm very excited to see where things will go from here!"**

**-Vivacia18**


	11. How We First Met

"**Game of Cat and Mouse"**

**-How We First Met-**

**To the lovely reviewers:**

**Guest:**** I try ;)**

**Kiri-Kay:**** x3 Wait, phone what? I'm not mean, we're friends! Friends play GAMES with each other.**

**Jade:**** And another!**

**xXSpiritulaWriterXx:**** You're welcome! Fluff for everyone!**

**ElusiveIllusions:**** Boris is a problem, lol.**

**-How We First Met-**

**~XI~**

**This chapter is here because of a wonderful story teller on deviantart named VaniVen. She was the winner of a contest I ran in the Borix-x-Pierce club awhile back that was meant to show how these two 'first met'. The winner was supposed to just get a feature, but honestly her doujin left a huge impression and I, with permission, have incorporated it into the story. **

**Thank you again, VaniVen.**

**~XI~**

One thing that was law in Wonderland was once you were born a Role-holder; your place was among other Role-holders. It was something people envied; but as a child, young Role-holders envied the faceless – the ones who had parents there to take care of them until they were old enough to be on their own. They also grew up in their own community among others just like them.

Boris, as a young child, had been left with The Duchess* – being so little at the time, she may as well have been faceless; he couldn't remember her name or any of her looks, only her role. When she had been offed by Blood, her son had taken the young Cheshire Cat in.

It was what he called 'Chapter One', though by then he had to have been thirteen years old. He'd already learned to fight, to hold a gun… but it was in 'Chapter One' that he met his first real companion before Alice.

**~XI~**

Shoes thudded heavily and quickly across the tiled floor of the manor, the young role holders' breath coming in short pants as he hurried. Ah-ha, there he was! "Hey Gowland! Gowland, guess what!"

"Boris!" The younger stopped, looking up at the red haired adult, tail twitching in anticipation. The bright golden eyes hardly noticed the pretty faceless mouse next to his caretaker. "Your blood!"

"Don't worry! I-" He was going to say he was fine, it was just a scratch or two!

"Don't be a dumbass Boris! The _floor_! It's getting ruined!" The tom looked down; noticing flecks of the coppery liquid was flung around him due to his running and it rolling down his legs. "Hurry and get all of that clean! I won't tolerate stains on my floor. When you finish cleaning, I need you to fix the new ride."

The fuchsia haired flattened his ears and moved to go get a bucket of water and a sponge, grumbling under his breath. "Stupid old man…"

"H-Hey…. A-Are you o-okay?" Boris looked up at the small voice, eyes full of curiosity. The tom's tail stood up, ears flickering at the stranger – who for some reason suddenly tensed up. "O-Oh! You… You're a c-cat! Cats are b-bad! St-Stay away from me!"

The tom stared blankly, ears flat again in a deadpan pose. _'What the Hell is with this kid? Wasn't he the one who talked to me first?'_

"Oh th-that's right…" The small figure leaned down in front of him. "Y-You're in-injured. L-Let me help you…"

"Don't touch me, rat," he huffed as the new person sat down in front of him.

"B-But you're hurt." He started to pull a small box from his pocket, taking out a band-aid. "My m-mom al-always told me to h-help others i-in n-need."

"Don't touch me, stupid rat!" The cat hissed again, bristling with a growl as the brunette trembled. "And what's with your hair? It's ridiculous!"

The boy in front of him attentively touched the longer blond-brunette bangs over his eye, ears pulled back. "R-Ridiculous? Y-Y-You think? My m-mom likes my hair."

"Well it looks lame to me." The older snapped. "Bangs like that are stupid."

The brunette easily ignored him, leaning forward and placing the band-aid on the leg wound despite his shaky hands. "S-So w-when…"

"Pierce! There you are!" Both boys looked up to see the caller; the ginger-brunette woman with round ears. She moved up to the younger, a frown upon her lips. "Pierce… I'm sorry."

"W-Why mom?" Boris' tail flickered, knowing too well what was coming from this.

"You'll be staying here at the amusement park." Mary said, stepping forward.

"B-But wh-why?"

"You have eyes Pierce… meaning you have a Role. Role-holders can't stay with faceless like me…"

"She's right you know. It's a rule for Role-holders to be with other Role-holders. That's part of what being one is all about." Gowland added.

Boris had looked away, golden eyes plastered to the dull brown band-aid near his knee when sudden movement caught his attention.

"_Pierce!"_

"Boris! Go after him!" Realization hit the young teen; the newest member was already heading out of sight. A hiss rose in the tom, annoyance digging into his current state of boredom. "Ok, ok, I'll go."

"What are you doing?! There's still blood on the floor!"

**~XI~**

The young mouse was rubbing his palm across his eyes, no longer able to stop or hide the sniffles and tears as he walked blindly through the forest.

"Stop crying you wimp." Pierce jumped, tail standing straight as an all too familiar face loomed down, hanging from a tree branch above.

"Y-You're that cat f-from before!"

"Yep. I came to get you back." The tom jumped down, landing perfectly on his feet with a twitch of his ears.

"N-No! I'm not going!"

Tipped ears flinched back, golden eyes looking over the smaller. "Why? It's not that bad!"

"D-Don't you get it? H-Having a role… I-It means t-to leave everything you love b-behind!" The younger moved away from him, eyes tearing up again. "A-And my role, i-it means I-I'll be alone… but o-of course, y-you would n-never u-understand th-that."

"No. You're wrong." The Cheshire's voice darkened, the cat taking a step towards the quivering form. "Being a Role-holder means you'll always be alone… Whether it's being secluded or physically hurt… It's our eyes that define who we are! That's what…" Pierce looked up, ears perked to see the golden orbs glazed over. "… that's what makes us unique! In this world, Role-holders are the ones that matter!"

The fuchsia haired jumped at suddenly feeling arms around him. "I-I'm so sorry! I-It's okay, I'll be your friend!"

"Shut up…" The older pulled back, slamming the younger down and pinning him with a foot. "And don't touch me! I'll never be your friend!" The cat pulled back with a lazy stretch. "Well, if you won't come back now, let's go out and have fun." He started pulling the mouse to his feet. "C'mon, let's go!"

"Eh? Oh… okay…" He flinched, eyes wide in confusion.

"Hurry up, rat!" The older called, leading him to the amusement park.

**~XI~**

They were just looking around when Pierce spotted one of the shops, looking over something Boris could just catch a glimpse of. Still, the tom smiled to himself, glad to see the mouse excited. He snickered to himself when he heard the smellers' stomach grumble. "Come over here, I'll get ya something."

**~XI~**

"So… how does it taste?" The cat asked, uninterested as he watched the smaller eat the blue ice cream*.

"I-It's very g-good. Want some?" The older looked over the stuttering mouse in confusion as the popsicle was held out to him. "T-Try it! You'll like it!" Green eyes watched as the cat bit into the top, taking a while to chew the chunk. "S-So? D-Did you like it?"

"Yeah…" The cat looked off in slight embarrassment. "Thanks for sharing with me…"

"H-Hey, I got y-you something." The smaller dug through his pocket, revealing a shiny gold item. "I-It's an earring piece." He smiled. "I-I knew y-you liked fish… s-so I thought it was c-cool."

"An ear piercing? I don't think that's a good idea…" The mouse leaned forward and attached it with a small snap.

"I-It's a clip on… s-so don't worry."

The newly decorated ear tilted back. "Too bad I can't see it. But since you got me something, I have no used hiding it." He huffed, leaning against the bench.

"Huh?"

"I got you that stupid little cheese clip you were looking at earlier."

"W-Wow! R-Really?" The youngers eyes widened as the cat revealed the present.

"Yup, just for you." He smirked, tossing the item.

"T-Thank you so m-much! I-I'll keep it s-safe!" Pierce was looking over the tiny chained item.

"Hey rat, let's go fight Faeries*."

The mouse nearly jumped up from his spot on the bench, fur standing on end. "F-F-Faeries?! B-But they eat p-people! I-It's dangerous!"

Boris just stood there, a large grin on his face. "That's the point! It'll be fun!" he argued. "Besides, it's boring to sit here while you eat ice-cream. It gives me something to do… C'mon let's fight some Faeries!" The cat grabbed the brunette's wrist, pulling him along through the crowd.

"N-No! It-It'll be sc-scary!" He tried to free himself from the cat's grip.

"If you're with me, you'll have to do as I say!"

**~XI~**

"Here we are! Faerie territory!" The cat stood proudly among two trees, the glade just in front of him and his shaking companion. "C'mon, let's piss them off!" he chimed.

"W-We shouldn't b-be here…!" The mouse was rubbing his arms, trying to stop the chill. "I-I'm g-going b-b-back!" He started to take a step backwards, hoping if he left, Boris would follow.

"Hey! Don't wimp out!"

"Ah!" The mouse felt his boot's heel his a rock, the small creature falling over. "O-Ouch…."

"That's what happens when you wimp out…" Boris shook his head, going over to help him up. "Not cool…"

"I-I don't w-w-wanna be h-here." He whined, rubbing his sore bottom.

"Well deal with it!" The cat grumbled, looking over the younger, back turned to the glade. However, it was the slight rustling of overgrown grass that really caught Pierce's attention, eyes going wide as the tom walked past him and kept going.

"B-B-Boris…" The older kept walking, completely ignoring the situation behind him. "_B…. Boris…_"

"What is it wimp? Can't you see I'm trying to think?"

"B-Boris!"

"_What_?" He growled, turning back over his shoulder to glare at the mouse; eyes quickly going wide at the sight that met him.

"_**Did you want to play?**_" The Faerie stalked out of the glade, bug-eyes staring the two down and sharp teeth forming a grin as the much larger body tramped the grass around it.

"You ready to fight this Pierce?" The cat asked, a bit of nervousness touching his voice. "Pierce?" Golden eyes turned, finding the russet haired gone completely. "Hey! Stupid rat!"

"_**I'm soooo hungry."**_ The large beast cackled wickedly, moving closer.

"Well then…" The young teen reached for his golden pistol, cocking the hammer and aiming carefully. "Eat this!" The bullet hit dead on – right between the eyes; however the thing didn't even flinch. The cat let out a surprised yelp when a vine-like thickness wrapped itself around him, bringing the tom closer to the beasts face.

"_**I'll eat my favorite part.**_" It seemed to grin even more – if that were possible—the thick tongue sliding out and lingering close.

"Let me go! I sa-!" Golden orbs widened as his position registered in his brain; Boris wasn't sure if the surprise had come first, or the pain. Air was trapped in his lungs as he quickly discovered that the sharp tongue was literally stabbed through his eye socket – only his right was able to tell him that this was indeed happening. Then the scream came, cutting off all the stomach-wrecking sounds of the slick muscle digging into his skull to get every last bit of the organ out…

There was a whizzing in the air; a sound that in this situation didn't seem to matter at all, until the faerie's tongue withdrew away from the role-holder with a hiss. Boris fell at the withdrawal, any new pain easily forgotten as a hand went up to cover the now empty and bleeding cavern, eye quickly shutting in preparation of a whole new torture of being eaten to begin.

"St-Stay away from him!" The cat's eye quickly opened, shock on his expression to see the shaking form in front of him, a knife in hand. "O-Or I'll hurt you!"

"You stupid rat! Get out of here, that's dangerous!"

The smaller ignored him, pulling the blade back, prepared to strike again. When the woman-like creature didn't seem willing to pull back he moved forward, slicing a cut near the woman's collarbone. The once brave face quickly fell to realize the small cut wasn't even bleeding, eyes staring at his tiny knife in hopelessness. "I-I can't kill it!"

"_**You look yummy too."**_ The thing cooed, picking the small mouse up with intent eyes, hardly noticing the struggle he tried to put up.

"Head first Dee!"

"That's right! Head first Dum!"*

Gold and green eyes looked up in shock to see two forms jumping up above the large beast, axes raised above their heads before slamming down in unison. Pierce was dropped almost immediately as a sick sound of decapitation echoed in the air.

"Let's blow it up!"

"Yeah, blow it up!" Two mimicking voices started laughing as the body was set to flames, both of the strangers mocking the beasts of the glade as they walked on. "Let's go kill more!"

"Yeah, they're weak!"

A golden eye followed the two forms, ears twitching in slight disbelief. "Wow… those two are amazing! I couldn't even do that! What do you think Pierce?" The cat moved to look for the mouse. "Pierce… you okay?"

"I-I'm so so-sorry B-Boris… Th-This is all my fault!" The smaller was on his hands and knees, shaking as tears pored over. "If… If only I didn't r-run away! Th-Then…your eye… It wouldnt' h-have b-been eaten… Y-You're hurt b-because of m-me…" The tom only watched, unsure what to do about the younger. "Th-This is… all… my fault…."

"Shut it, rat." The quivering stopped for a moment, green eyes looking up in disbelief. "You're much stronger than I thought you were. That's cool. I can survive, I'm alive now, see?" The older moved closer, resting on the balls of his feet so he could move the bangs out of his way to look at the second glassy eye.

"Y-You really think so?"

"Yup. Besides, I was the one who convinced you to do this." He let the bangs fall, moving his hand back to mimic the hairstyle. "But, hey, you do owe me one of your eyes for running off. Now I have to fix my hair like yours." He grinned deviously.

"O-One of m-my eyes? B-But I c-cant! I-I need them both!"

"Oh? Is that so?" The cat tapped his chin in fake thought. "Since I lost one eye… You'll have to give me something in return.

"Ah… W-Well…"

"Well, that means you'll have to give me your body!" The cat's eye lit up, claws unsheathing.

"E-Eh?!"

"Come here Pierce!" He growled, fumbling a fork and knife from his pockets, having picked them up in thoughts of getting food in the park after this trip. He bore them towards the smaller, a glint in his eye as he licked his lips, tail twitching like any cat at hunt.

"Ahhh! No, Boris! Stop!" The mouse turned on heel, hurrying to get away from the cat.

"Where are you going Pierce?! I'm hungry!" He teased.

"No! Stay away from me!"

**~XI~**

Honestly, Boris could say that Pierce's move to Blood's mansion soon after that was his fault*, despite the fact that the dormouse was supposed to be under Mary's care. Maybe he really had chased Pierce off, but their game hadn't ended there.

A golden eye peeked open to peer at the soundless sleeper next to him, the cat letting out a small sigh. It hadn't been a week ago he and Pierce had run – literally- into Alice, who tried to hide Pierce behind her and scold Boris for… say… the hundredth and twelfth time or so? Needless to say, over the years since they were eleven and thirteen, Boris and Pierce's game had never been serious – the cat didn't find any pleasure in thoughts of truly eating the mouse, and he actually wondered if Pierce remembered the reason the whole game had started every time they ran into each other in such a manner… Maybe over all these years, Boris had been guilting him… Maybe that's why he had returned to work with Mary and himself again…well, that and the twins had scared the bloody shit out of him.

The dormouse stirred next to him, tail twitching slightly in his sleep.

_'I kissed Pierce earlier…'_ The tom reminded himself, an ear tilting to the side at the thought, a small tinkling noise as the fish ornament placed there clicked against its ring. _'It's wasn't the same as kissing Alice though. I didn't feel bad about it.'*_

With another sigh, the cat tried not to give it much more thought, curling up slightly in a protective hold over his current charge, determined to wake up if he dare move away from him again come morning. After all, this had been his fault, since the beginning.

**+-XI-+**

***The Duchess: I don't know/think there's a role for her in HnKnA, but The Duchess was the caretaker of the Cheshire Cat in the actual Alice in Wonderland, so I thought she should've had some play in Boris' young life at least. Also, the Duchess was the one with the baby [varies whether the baby was real or fake, sorry] so I said that could've been Gowland; though it's not true Role-holders have Role-holding babies.**

***I'll give you a brownie point if you can guess what flavor the ice-cream is.**

***Faeries: While it's true most fairies/faeries of myths don't eat people, it's also pretty common for them to in other countries. VaniVen said that fairies don't, but you'd be surprised. Her design for a faerie here is a new thing for me, it stands on its hands and legs similar to that of a spider, with large eyes and a row of sharp teeth, that it's hair can be used to pick people up – yeah, they're also pretty damn big. You should look at the comic if you want to understand better.**

***Dee and Dum are 'older' than we think, having the ability to switch between ages; with that theory they seem a bit older than Boris when 'they are older'; I believe, however, they can't go any older than they've already lived. That being said, I think them being about the age we normally see them [younger] makes sense for them to be when Pierce and Boris see them here.**

***Pierce was in Blood's manor before he technically became a part of 'Mary's team'… though, being the gravedigger, I think he's more neutral.**

***When it comes to Boris' arc of the story [and he does sleep with Alice] it didn't seem like he even liked being in such type of relationship with her. Keep in mind, I've only seen that in Japanese and have little ideas of what was actually said [if you're curious, I believe it's the same one Pierce gets rid of a body using a tub of acid and is killing someone. Oh Pierce, your innocent looks are deceiving.]**

**AN: So anyway, feel free to share your thoughts, review. This chapter was mostly VaniVen's work [except that last part] and the next chapter involved more fluff. I suggest kind words if you want me to write it, since your inspiration and love is truly what keeps me typing.**

"**Wow, great prequel chapter love, I could hardly stop scrolling! Definitely thank VaniVen for the inspiration; I'm a sucker for backstory to begin with, and this one was very well thought out, suiting their characters and the eventual progression of the story perfectly. It was a lovely mix of seriousness and play, bitter chocolate and sweet milk, just like those two themselves, and so by extension anything they touch. It's always great to add some depth to characters, and their world, with backstory, and that was done excellently here^^"**

**-Vivacia18**

**Who, by the way, guessed correctly what ice-cream flavor that was xD**


	12. Common

"Game of Cat and Mouse"

-Common-

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><p><strong>Review Response:<strong>

**Kiri-Kay:**** If it makes you feel any better, no one plays that game anymore. But, I want to be your friend!**

**xXSpiritualWriterXx:**** I'm glad to hear you're really enjoying this! I wonder if you shrieked again? xD And your guess is correct!**

**ElusiveIllusions:**** I hope VaniVen sees all the compliments she's getting!**

**LoveGunsAndHauntingDreams:**** … What's LGAHD?**

**VaniVen:**** Did you see all the love your idea got? Thank you so much for all of your help, and you still have some great ideas! And- I totally don't write smut e.e I don't know what you're talking about…. Heh, I was thinking about it actually, but all in good time 3**

**Oh yeah, speaking of which!**

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><p><strong>FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE HUGE FANS OF THIS STORY:<strong>

**PLEASE, I WANTED TO SHARE VANIVEN, CO-WRITER OF THE LAST CHAPTER, AUTHOR OF THE DOUJIN IT'S BASED OFF OF AND THE CURRENT AMAZING ARTIST I'VE BEEN KEEPING AN EYE ON IS DRAWING A DOUJINSHI BASED OFF OF THIS STORY. ISN'T THAT AMAZING? I REALLY LIKE HER STYLE AND YOU SHOULD ALL GO LOOK AT IT AND HELP ME DRIVE HER TO CONTINUE!**

**IF YOU WANT THE LINK, PLEASE PM OR LEAVE IT IN YOUR REVIEW ASKING FOR IT.**

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><p>Boris' eye peeked open, the golden orb searching around until he landed on the slightly parted curtain, glaring at the sunlight filtering in as if it were the devil itself. A small clicking noise sounded as his tail flickered in annoyance, not liking that he didn't see the dormouse.<p>

Ears flicked back, a large yawn escaping the tired cat as he rolled over onto his other side, nearly jumping when the mouse in question peeked his head over the side of the bed.

"Shit Pierce!" The tom cat hissed, moving back.

"Sorry Boris. I lost one of my pins. Are you sleeping on it by chance?" The russet haired asked, pout on his face.

The Cheshire Cat sat up, shifting through the blankets and pillows to come up empty handed. "Nu-uh. Which one was it?"

"The little cheese one." The cat matched his friends frown. Of course he would lose that one.

"It'll turn up," he huffed, standing with a stretch before attaching the gun onto its chain. "You gonna come out with me today?"

The green eye looked up at him before the clover mouse shook his head. "You can go on ahead of me, Boris. I've got to find that pin…"

"Hey rat, you still shaken in the head?" the tom mused, golden eye following him as he started to look under the bed.

"I'm a mouse, Boris." the younger turned to glare.

"Guess that answers my question," he shrugged. "I'll be back shortly. Just remember, you got a job to do too, gravedigger." He smirked in amusement when the younger shivered lightly.

"I-I know… Hey Boris?" The older stopped at the door, turning to the mouse. "Um… about yesterday? Tha-"

"Don't mention it." He waved if off quickly, exiting the room with a fast step before the kiss could be brought up.

**~XII~**

"Is he doing any better though?" Alice dabbed a wet cloth at the wound, ignoring the wince Boris gave.

"Sure. Just not like Pierce." He sighed, ears wilting. "I dunno if I like it."

"I think he'll snap back…" Alice offered, wrapping a bandage around the olders arm. "At least he's being more careful than you are."

"Sorry Alice," he huffed. "I didn't do anything this time though! I was careful!"

"Yet someone still found and nicked you."

"You shouldn't be here with such dangerous guys!" Boris countered. "I liked it better when you were at the clock tower. Julius didn't shoot at me."

The brunette shook her head, eyes wondering over the red decorated room. "I'll come and visit you all over in the amusement park soon."

The tom frowned, leaning back in his chair. _'That wasn't what I meant…'_

"Boris?"

"I'm alright." He gave her a small smile, standing. "I should head back."

**~XII~**

Pierce had started looking for his pin the 'easy' way, shuffling things around and setting them back in their place. However, that wasn't working for him. Yes, it was Boris' room, Boris' stuff and he had no right to really move it but… why pick up something that was dirty and just set it back? He could just… throw it out for him, or at least tidy up a bit.

Somehow, hunting for his missing piece of metal turned to a cleaning spree. Before he was really aware of it, Pierce had the garbage piled in one corner thrown out; dirty plates and scattered bullets from the next taken downstairs and cleaned; the bed had been stripped of its sheets and bundled with other needed-to-be-cleaned clothes, throw rug, and pillows; the mouse found a broom and started sweeping the floor. He was almost done with that too, and was already planning on his next task.

"Holy shit!" The dormouse jumped, turning on heel to see the room's owner gaping at him. "What did you do to my room!?"

"I'm cleaning it." Pierce smiled matter-of-factly.

"Have you even left the room today!?"

"I took the garbage and dishes out?"

"What about your actual _job_?"

"I was going to get to it… eventually."

The cat let out an annoyed sigh, leaning against the doorframe as he thought. "Okay, you know what? You've been cooped up too long. We're going out. Let's go."

"Huh? No, I'm alright-"

"_Let's go._" Boris grabbed the mouse's wrist, dragging him out.

**~XII~**

The fuchsia cat led the younger out of the amusement park, and soon Pierce walked next to him when he recognized they were heading towards the mouse village again.

"You're not going to start harassing them again, are you?"

"No, no. Just not sure what to do with you, that's all."

"You dragged me out without a plan?" The mouse frowned.

"You were going through my things!"

"I was just cleaning!"

"Did you even find the stupid pin?"

"No… not yet." The younger looked down with a sigh.

"It'll turn up." The cat smiled sympathetically. "Let's just look around the village, see if we can find anything interesting to do."

"Without tormenting anyone?" Pierce pressed.

"Yeah yeah, whatever." The golden eye rolled.

**~XII~**

The Cheshire leaned back against the tree, looking up past the treetops at the pink sky. Somewhere the sun was setting, but that view was rather hard to catch from where they were anyway. The mouse next to him was happily eating away at what remained of their cookies. Boris was sure the woman had given them to Pierce for 'taming the cat' though that was complete blasphemy.

The tom let out a contented sigh as his eyes closed, satiated and relaxed. Even though they had cost him his pride, those cookies had been delicious.

"Hey Boris?" The tom peeked his eye open, glancing at the curious russet haired. "Was this a date?"

The older sat up, staring at the other bewildered. "How is it that you couldn't even remember my name the other day, but you know what a date is?" He grumbled, practically face-palming.

"…That's a good question. Probably the same reason I don't know why that pin is so important to me, but I know it is and I need to find it." Okay, Boris had to give the analogy some credit.

"Riddle me this. Why would I take you out on a date in the first place?"

"Why would you house me and comfort me when you say you dislike me?"

"Damn it, when have I ever said that I disliked you? Threatened to eat you, yes; but dislike you or hate you?"

"It was heavily implied."

"Stop talking back to me so casually, or I'll throw you out!" He ended the conversation there, refusing to answer anything else.

**+-XII-+**

**AN: So sorry for the wait! Loretta – the computer- is being worked on and should be returning home shortly. She gave out and has been getting work done. Therefore, this was written at school, so sorry for the shortness as well. I feel bad for these not so good updates, please bear with me.**

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><p>"<strong>Aww, don't work yourself up love- if this chapter was any indication, I think your fans will be more than satisfied:3 It was sweet, funny and well written; what more could we ask for? I'm guessing part of the trouble with writing at school is that you can't save in progress work as you go? A good way around that is a flashdrive andor e-mailing the doc to yourself. It may not help with being able to write elsewhere, but it may help stop you from feeling rushed in your writing."**

**-Vivacia18**


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